A&M-Victoria receives $400,000 grant for liver health program
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently awarded a Texas A&M University-Victoria faculty member a $400,000 grant to create a public health education program focused on liver disease in the Victoria region.
Michael Wiblishauser, associate professor of public health, will lead the Victoria County Alliance Against Non-Alcoholic Hepatitis, which will use the funds to create a public health and education program that will focus on metabolic liver diseases. The grant funds came from the THECB’s Minority Health Research and Education Grant Program.
“The goal is to come up with an intervention program that will reach people and come up with ways to help them address metabolic liver issues,” Wiblishauser said. “Liver disease is becoming increasingly prevalent and growing in severity, and this program will focus on risk factors and more.”
Metabolic liver disease is a different issue than the liver problems that most people know of, such as Hepatitis or alcohol. Metabolic issues can be caused by a variety of health factors, including hypertension, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, glucose intolerance or metabolic syndrome. To be eligible for the program, participates should either be diagnosed with metabolic liver disease or have risk factors that could lead to the development of the disease.
Wiblishauser plans to create a two-year program that will offer 100 residents of Victoria and the surrounding area who are at risk of developing or have been diagnosed with metabolic liver issues. Participants will attend meetings every two weeks that will offer health screenings as well as receive a $25 H-E-B gift card. When they sign up to participate, volunteers will also receive a FitBit, a set of PortionMate rings and other educational materials that focus on creating a healthy lifestyle, Wiblishauser said.
“Dr. Michael Wiblishauser's success in securing this highly competitive $400,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is a tremendous achievement for both him and Texas A&M University-Victoria,” said Mary Lasater, acting dean of the College of Education & Health Professions. The VAANAH initiative exemplifies our commitment to advancing research that directly improves the health and well-being of the communities we serve. Through innovative partnerships with local healthcare organizations and community leaders, this project will address a growing public health challenge while providing meaningful opportunities for education, outreach, and service. We are proud of Dr. Wiblishauser’s leadership and look forward to the lasting impact this initiative will have throughout the Victoria region and beyond.”
The program will be a partnership between A&M-Victoria and other health care providers and organizations in the Victoria region, Wiblishauser said. The Victoria County Public Health Department has agreed to participate, and local clinics have expressed interest in helping to offer the health screening services during the biweekly meetings.
“I hope this program will make a difference and help us develop ways to coach individuals in how to lower their risk,” Wiblishauser said. “I’m grateful to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for selecting my program concept for this grant. And I want to thank Angela Hartmann, A&M-Victoria director of research and sponsored programs, for making me aware of this grant opportunity.”
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.